www.NALF.org

North American
   Limousin Foundation
Suite 100
7383 S. Alton Way
Centennial, CO  80112

(303) 220-1693
fax: (303) 220-1884

NALF Notes
Fall 2007

Be a Contender in Round 3
By Bo Sexson, director of commercial programs, North American Limousin Foundation

 
The second chapter has closed on the North American Limousin Foundation’s (NALF’s) learn-by-doing cattle-feeding and carcass-discovery project, Visions Quest (VQ). Round 2 included 27 producers from 13 states who delivered 311 head of pedigreed and Limousin-influenced cattle to the Colorado State University (CSU) Ag Research, Development and Education Center (ARDEC) near Fort Collins, Colo.

The NALF Board of Directors has approved VQ Round 3; and with your participation, it can be another success.

VQ is a response to a call from Limousin breeders and customers at the Limousin Visions Symposium at CSU in December 2004. The symposium identified four key traits for breeders and commercial users of Limousin genetics to emphasize when making selection decisions for maximum profitability: grade (both yield and quality), growth, docility and fertility. NALF created VQ to offer an educational experience in retained ownership and to create critical performance and carcass data for ongoing breed improvement.

CSU will finish all of the VQ cattle at the ARDEC cattle-feeding facility in 10-head pens that allow for more precise feed-intake measurements. They also will allow NALF to evaluate differences in rate, efficiency and composition of growth and the effect that docility and capacity might have on those traits. NALF plans to use VQ performance data to institute benchmarks for the yearling weight expected progeny difference (EPD), helping achieve industry-leading feedyard gains and efficiencies.

In relation to learning about cattle feeding, carcass merit and the advantages of retained ownership, VQ participants and enrollees who want only the educational material will receive monthly lessons about many different beef industry topics. If you are interested in enrolling in the educational component of VQ free of charge, contact the NALF commercial programs department at bo@nalf.org or (303) 220-1693.

NALF encourages cooperation among Limousin breeders and their commercial customers to include a diverse sampling of the breed’s bloodlines, and VQ could not be possible without their support and trust. Crawl into the ring today by enrolling your Limousin-influenced calves in the upcoming bout to prove the breed’s prowess in the beef industry.

Enrollments were due Sept. 1, but some pen space still might be available. Anyone interested in delivering cattle between Nov. 1 and 15 to ARDEC should review the newly updated program guidelines and enrollment form in the “Programs” section of the NALF Web site (www.nalf.org) then contact the commercial programs department.